1. Field of the Disclosure
This disclosure relates to an online textbook exchange apparatus, associated methodology, and non-transitory computer program storage device for helping students buy and sell course materials online.
2. Description of the Related Art
College or university students are typically required to buy certain textbooks and specific course materials for the courses that they are enrolled in. These textbooks and specific course materials can be bought either in new or used condition at various bookstores. In some cases, other students who have previously taken the course may sell their textbooks to the students about to take the course. Such used textbooks are typically advertised on bulletin boards or newspapers, neither of which are convenient since a student looking for these books must spend considerable time sorting through the bulletin boards and newspapers for the right information.
A student may also sell their used books and specific course materials over the Internet using a website. These websites allow the students to offer their used textbooks to other students. However, at this time, websites only allows students looking for used textbooks to perform limited searches of entire databases for these books using keywords such as the book's title, author, or ISBN number.
Even if a student finds the specific course material used in a previous term, there is no information available that informs a prospective buyer that the same course material will still be used in a subsequent term. Further, it may be unknown if a previous revision of the course material will be accepted in the subsequent term, especially if a new revision of the course material is released.
As there may be many students who wish to buy course materials from other students within the same school or geographical region, buying and selling course materials through a website and thus shipping the course materials to another student within the same school can be burdensome and an inefficient use of limited resources.